Re-electionist Grace Poe remains the top of choice of Filipinos for senator in the upcoming May 2019 elections in the latest Pulse Asia survey released yesterday.
In the survey conducted from Jan. 26 to 31, Poe, a former presidential bet and independent candidate, obtained an overall voter preference of 74.9 percent, followed by fellow re-electionist and administration-backed Sen. Cynthia Villar with a voter preference of 60.5 percent.
Poe, daughter of former presidential bet actor Fernando Poe Jr., also topped the March 2018 and June 2018 Pulse Asia survey on the May 2019 senatorial elections.
Taguig City Rep. Pia Cayetano, with a 53.3 percent voter preference, and former Sen. Lito Lapid with 53 percent, shared the third to sixth spot.
Senators Nancy Binay (50.1 percent) and Juan Edgardo Angara (48.8 percent), both re-electionists, ranked third to seventh, and third to ninth places, respectively.
Other senatorial bets in the “Magic 12” are Sen. Koko Pimentel (45.5 percent), former Special Assistant to the President Bong Go (44.7 percent), former Sen. Jinggoy Estrada (44.3 percent), former Sen. Mar Roxas (41.8 percent), Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos (41.2 percent), and former Sen. Bong Revilla (40.2 percent).
Trailing them are Sen. Bam Aquino (38.5 percent) and former Sen. Serge Osmeña (37.7 percent), who both shared 10th to 15th places, former Philippine National Police chief Director General Ronald “Bato” M. dela Rosa (36.9 percent) at 11th to 16th places.
Most of those in the Magic 12 are bets under presidential daughter and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte’s Hugpong ng Pagbabago party – Villar, Cayetano, Angara, Pimentel, Go, Estrada, Marcos, and Revilla.
Former presidential candidate Roxas was the lone opposition senatorial bet, running under the Liberal Party, who made it to the Top 12. (Alexandria Dennise San Juan)
